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Why I don't think that lack of regular translation assignments is a disadvantage

When I wrote about advantages and disadvantages of being a freelancer, I got a comment that one of the disadvantages is also lack of regular work, i.e. lack of regular income. I promised to think about it and now I am ready to share my opinion on this issue. May be I am wrong, who knows.

I think that not having regular translation assignments is NOT a disadvantage.

Why? Well, let me share my reasons:

It helps me to stay active in my marketing efforts. I am constantly learning of new ways to promote my services and do my best to use them. One day I might make a very good marketing strategist =)

It helps me to never stop growing professionally. Some time ago I came across the words of a very experienced translator "you are only as good as your last project". This is so true. Being a translator, I am learning to be as detailed-oriented as possible and double check everything, including things I think I know very well. Freelance work is not for those who think too highly of themselves. It's for realistic people who know their strengths and weaknesses and who are always willing to produce the best results.

The good news is that the longer I practice all the three points, the more predictable my income is becoming.

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In my previous post I promised to follow with the interesting info about some other languages. So here are 10 facts about the Russian language which might be of interest to those who are studying it. If you would like to have this list in Russian, please contact me and I will send it to you by email. So, what do I find interesting about my native language?

1. Russian has about 500,000 words, but only 2,000-2,500 of them are used frequently. 100 most frequently used words make 20% of all written and oral speech. A high school graduate's vocabulary usually has 1,500 to 4,000 words. Those who have graduated from a higher educational institution normally have a richer vocabulary consisting of approximately 8,000 words.
2. It's compulsory for all astronauts in the international space station to learn Russian, so we can call it an international language of space :)

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